Topeka ? Let the trash talking begin.
Kansas University says a bill requiring the men’s basketball team to play Wichita State University would cost KU several hundred thousand dollars in lost ticket and television revenue.
But supporters of a KU-WSU series — one game in Lawrence and one in Wichita — said KU was trying to find excuses to avoid playing the Shockers because KU knows it will occasionally get beat and doesn’t want to face a loss in its own state.
State Rep. Todd Novascone, R-Wichita, who introduced the bill said he thought KU’s estimate of lost revenue was “a joke.”
He said the games would produce increased revenue because two schools with devoted fan bases within the same state would be playing each other.
“The sports bars will be packed, the media will be at a frenzied level, and fans from both sides will be enthusiastic for the games,” he said.
Novascone’s bill was heard by the House Higher Education Committee. It is HB 2755.
